I think you can see in this picture that I sanded and distressed all the edges, just a little bit.

Before she saw it, I sent Patti a couple of emails telling her how CUTE it turned out...just teasing her. But, I wouldn't send her a picture. It's always best to actually see the piece.

This is the table "before".

It is long and narrow and I loved it the way it was before I painted it.

But the boss, Patti, LOVED the new colors.

She said it might be her favorite piece that she's had me do in a long time.

I suggested that she tell her grandbabies that this is her "cat in the hat" table.

When she picked up this table, she brought me a HUGE beautiful mirror to paint a light orangey color. Remember orangey colored dreamcicles?? I wonder if they still make them. When I was a little girl, I could hardly wait to spend my nickels on a dreamsicle.

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TUTORIAL

If you want perfect stipes you use tape or you measure, draw and paint very carefullly.

Patti likes things to look hand painted and not perfect. I do, too.

I painted the denim base coat. With a pencil and ruler I measured and drew the stripes.

If you want the stripes to start and end with the same color, keep that in mind when you are measuring for your stripes. I used a brush and painted linear strokes (no tape).

I painted only one coat of turquoise and let some of the base denim color show through.

I think that looks old and weathered.

Last thing is to paint two or three coats of a low sheen clear sealer.

Friday, February 21, 2014

A couple of months ago my friend Gus replaced some siding on my sewing room walls. He replaced it with Hardie which will last forever!

A couple of days ago, I removed the mildew with my garden sprayer. I used 1/2 bleach and 1/2 water. I wish I had an organic way to get the mildew off, but this is the best solution I know. After a very few minutes when the mildew was gone, I soaked the area very well with lots of water, trying to dilute the chemicals as fast as I could. The little geckos, chameleons, frogs and other little creatures are hibernating right now and I didn't want to hurt them with the chemicals. I did see a gecko and a chameleon and they did not seem to be bothered, so I guess I watered it down fast enough.

After that dried very well, I caulked every single black crack, seam, nail and screw hole. It keeps moisture out of your walls and trim and keeps bugs out of your walls.

Caulking really does make the paint job look so much better.

Freshly painted and looks sooo clean and nice!!

Those are the shelves where I store all of my flower pots.

Prepping and painting the exterior takes a lot of time. So, I will paint only one or two walls at a time...only what I have time to get done in a day or so. It's just too overwhelming to try to do more and I might keep putting off the painting that needs to be done.

All of the other garden things, I keep in my garden shed out of the weather.

Of course, this picture was taken last summer, when everything was green.

Stephanie wanted her kitchen island and the cabinets in her family room to look a little different. So, I painted both a little darker color and faux painted the doors and panels with a different technique.

These are the two different techniques I used for her kitchen and family room.

While I was there, they asked me to faux paint their dining room walls.

The painters painted the kitchen wall color as the base coat and

I used a darker brown to faux paint over it.

Stephanie has such a beautiful home and I'm proud that I got to be a tiny part of making it special.

Monday, February 17, 2014

About three years ago, I painted this special, aged technique on Stephanie's kitchen cabinets.
A few weeks ago, she told me they were building a new vent-a-hood and wanted me to paint it, too.

They showed me a picture of the finish they wanted and I said "I CAN do that!!" It looked a lot like my "antique silver" finish that I've painted many times.

I love how Stephanie chose this tile to go on her new vent-a-hood. It goes so well with the metallic "antique silver" and metallic gold trim that I painted. The tile reflects the light and just sparkles!

Remember, you might not see the metallic silver paint finish unless it is reflecting light, too.

My trusty old wooden ladder.

I was looking for the post to Stephanie's kitchen cabinets so I could give you a link to see them "before" the new vent-a-hood, but realize I've never shared that with you.

So, that will be my next post.

Stephanie's kitchen cabinets before and after.

Stephanie replaced her ovens and needed me to paint the new little trim around that area to match her kitchen cabinets. Thank goodness, I keep records of the paint colors, techniques, etc. I've needed that information quite a few times for other clients, too.

And, this is the "before" picture of the newly built vent-a-hood.

It is made out of plywood and the builder primed it for me.

That was good, because Stephanie was hoping I could get it painted and finished for her

Superbowl Party!

My basecoat was called "Seahawk", but I never mentioned that because I didn't know who they would be rooting for. Didn't want them to think I might have jinxed them with that paint color!!

Stephanie and her husband came home on their lunch break to see how it was going...I was finished painting and they LOVED how it looked with their kitchen and new appliances.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Last year, I painted my client's great room cabinets and kitchen cabinets a greigy beigy crackled, distressed finish. They were all visible in this one very large room.
So, this year she had three pieces of furniture that she wanted me to paint in the same special finish.

On this first piece she wanted me to add black accents and a distressed black top.

I love the way this piece turned out, but you should see what she had me paint over!!

Don't faint!!

Don't pass out!!

HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!!

SHE HAD ME PAINT OVER THIS FABULOUS, BEAUTIFUL CHEST!!!

She had this piece for a long time and was tired of it and wanted to change the decor in her bedroom, thus, me painting over this beautiful chest. The leg trim, smaller trim pieces and handles were brass and

I PAINTED OVER IT ALL!!

It's beautiful now, too, but it wasn't easy for me to paint over all of that beautiful artwork.

But, that is my job.

It reminds me of several times that I've had to paint over my murals or artwork because a kid had outgrown it.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

VISIT MYLYNDA BERGMAN DIY BLOG
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Lori was renovating her two upstairs baths.
She had the showers, flooring, granite, comodes, sinks, everything replaced.
She had seamless shower surrounds installed and they're really nice.
Then, she asked me to paint the cabinets for her.

I made samples and this is the finish she chose for her guest bath.

The cabinet color looks sooo nice with her new granite, floor and tiles. The other contractors finished their work before I came in. That's always best so the new finishes don't get chipped or scratched.

Lori chose bronze faucets.

When I made the samples for her, I chose colors that would coordinate with her faucets and the colors in the granite.

Here is her new granite in the adjoining room.

I love it!

For some reason, these border tiles came in with the edges unpainted. Lori asked me to paint the edges to match the other colors in the tiles. I used durable craft paints and dabbed the paint on. Because the tiles were dull, I sealed the edges with a dull, clear sealer.

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When I show my clients samples, this color is the one most of them choose.

It goes with just about any decor.

The very most important thing is to get the color tones correct and matching everything else in the room. That can sometimes be a real challenge. But, I think I got it right with these two baths, thank goodness!!

With all of the colors Lori had to choose and coordinate, I think she did a great job and both baths turned out beautifully!!

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After many requests for information on creating this cabinet finish, I have written a 20 page "how to" eBook with color formula and technique. Here is a link to my eBook:

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DECORATIVE ARTISAN & PAINTER. I will paint anything &
everything!! I do faux painting, special finishes on cabinets, walls, murals, furniture, fabric and just painting walls. I do just about anything "paint" related.
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